The Lion King: The Unlikely Line
by Red Eyes Black Dragon Master
Summary: "I have chosen a name for him." King Ahadi said. He approached his queen, Uru, with her newborn cub still curled up in her paws. "It will remind him of his place among us, how much we appreciate him, and how grateful we are. And it will serve as a reminder of his mother's actions." He stopped above the cub, his lips curled and teeth bared. "His name is Taka, for he is dirt to me."


**The Lion King: The Unlikely Line**

 **Escape**

A young lion, Kuiba, stared up at the cloudless sky, dotted with the thousands of diamond jewels of stars. His fur was a dark orange tinge and his mane a glossy black. The other members of his small pride had already fallen asleep. He heard their loud snoring. His tail flicked with anticipation, and he pawed at the ground before him. This was to be the night, it was now or never. He and his love, Uru, would have to desert from their fellow lions tonight, or be separated forever.

He was waiting for her now. Their pride lived on a small rock formation next to a river, with a ledge jutting out over the rapidly swirling water. It was on this ledge where he awaited her.

There was a rustling behind him, the sound of paws approaching. He leapt to his feet and spun around, only to see the face of his love. "Uru." He rushed over to her and nuzzled against her neck. "I was beginning to fear you wouldn't come."

"I'm sorry." Uru said. "I had to wait until my father was asleep. He was watching me most of the night, making sure I didn't try anything. I fooled him into thinking I'd fallen asleep."

"I always knew you were clever." Kuiba said with a smile. "Now, come on. Let's get out of here."

"By all means, be my guest." A sinister voice growled. The dark shape of a large male lion appeared from behind the largest rock. All around them, the other lions of the pride stood, none of them having ever been asleep. Their eyes seemed to glow in the dark, and teeth shone in silvery moonlight. The alpha lion stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself as Kutawala, Uru's father. "You may leave whenever you like." He said. "Of course, I mean only you, Kuiba. My daughter isn't going anywhere."

Kuiba's lips curled. He placed himself between Uru and the other members of the pride, prepared to fight them all if he needed. "This is wrong, and you know it." He snarled. "She should be free. You have no right to control her."

"I am her father, I have every right." Kutawala spoke with authority. "She is promised to another. I would never allow her to wed a scrawny weakling such as you. You have only one choice, Kuiba. You will leave her here and face banishment, or you will face my wrath. It's all up to you." The other lions of the pride growled and roared. They flexed their claws and bared their teeth.

Kuiba roared a threat back, but everyone knew it was only a threat. He was severally outnumbered, and even on his best day he was no match for Kutawala alone. As his mind raced for a plan, any way to escape this trap, he heard Uru's voice.

"Kuiba!" She shouted. He looked back and saw her standing at the very edge of the rock, just over the rushing water below. Immediately he knew her plan.

"Uru, don't you dare!" Kutawala shouted.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." She cried tearfully, and then leapt from the protruding rock ledge and plunged into the cold, rushing river.

"Get him!" Kutawala ordered, and the lioness's charged.

Kuiba turned and ran. He jumped into the river after Uru, allowing the current to sweep him away from the vicious pride. As his head broke through the water's surface and he gasped for air, he could still hear the angry roars of Kutawala.

"You won't escape from me!" The alpha lion shouted into the night. "I will find you, and I will take my daughter back! And then I will kill you!"

Kuiba let the river take him away, finally drug himself out of the water and onto the riverbanks further downstream. Uru was waiting for him on shore, her fur still soaking wet. "Kuiba! Oh, thank goodness you're safe." She went to his side and helped him to stand. "I was afraid the river might have taken you."

"It almost did." He said. "If I hadn't seen you on shore, I might've given up and let it take me." He shook himself dry. "Come on, we have to get going."

"Now?" Uru asked. "You just barely managed to crawl out of the river. Aren't you exhausted? We should wait until sunrise."

"No, we need to go now. It's likely your father is already following the river looking for us. If we wait until sunrise, he'll have found us already, or be much to close behind. If we leave right now, however, we might be able to give him the slip."

"But where are we to go where they won't follow us?" Uru asked desperately.

"I can think of only one place." Kuiba said. "The Pride Lands."

/

A pair of lions, one male and one female, journeyed together along the edges of the Pride Lands. They knew this land was ruled by a powerful family, and was some of the most fertile land on the Savannah. The midday sun beat down on them, scorching the earth. A harsh drought had fallen over these lands and food was scarce. They knew traveling this way could be dangerous, for King Mohatu did not take kindly to outsiders entering his territory.

"Kuiba," the lioness said, "was it wise to come this way?"

"Not wise, but probably our best bet to escape." Kuiba's paws dragged across the barren soil, bringing up a cloud of dust behind him.

"What if the Pride Lander's find us?" The female, Uru, asked. "Mohatu has been known to kill Outsider's on sight. Especially in a drought like this with so little food or water."

"But that's precisely why we're going this way." Kuiba explained. "Your father has already tried to kill me just for seeing you. He says you're betrothed to someone else." The black maned lion turned to face his companion. "Uru, you know I love you, and would hate to see you intended to anyone else. And as desperate as your father would be to retrieve you, he wouldn't dare try to cross the lands of King Mohatu."

Uru paused in her tracks. She felt the heat of the sun penetrate her fur and burn her flesh. There was not a breath of wind on this day. "Kuiba," she said, "Before we go any further, we need to find shade. Maybe even some water, or else we may not have to worry about my father finding us."

"Yes, I believe you're right."

Ahead of them, grazing peacefully along the edge of a small pond, was a small zebra herd. The black-and-white striped animals seemed to take no notice of the pair of lions, instead grazing on the short green grass which grew at the water's edge. Kuiba motioned his head to the zebra and nodded to Uru. "I can scatter the herd. And if you can catch one, I'll help bring it down."

She smiled up at him. "Agreed."

Uru placed herself close to the ground and began to circle around the zebra, always keeping her eyes oh her prey as well as Kuiba. The black-maned lion circled to the other side, also keeping himself low and out of sight. As soon as they were on opposite sides of the herd, Kuiba charged. He unleashed a loud, powerful roar as he rushed forward. The zebra immediately panicked. They yelped and hollered, turning to run from their attacker. It was then that Uru emerged from her hiding place and latched onto the hindquarters of one of the zebra. It stumbled under her weight, desperately struggling to escape. Her claws dug into its flesh.

The zebra struggled to its feet and started to kick. Uru held firm, but her grip was beginning to loosen. Soon, she would be unable to hold on and loose the only chance they had. Just before the zebra could escape, Kuiba jumped on its face, tackeling it back to the ground. He extended his claws into its skin and sank his teeth around its neck, suffocating it. The zebra struggled, but soon it's movements stopped and it lay dead.

Gasping with exhaustion, Kuiba and Uru looked at each other and laughed. Together, they had done it. They managed to bring down this beast as a team, and in doing so had proved they could survive out here together.

The fed from the zebra and drank from the pond, allowing themselves this moment of comfort and rest. They were content now, finally happy to be together. They fell asleep that way.

As the hot day faded into evening, and the western sky turned red, Kuiba woke. He was groggy, and felt a little stiff, but as he opened his eyes he soon found himself and Uru in danger. They were surrounded by a pride of lions. A crowd of lionesses stood around them in a circle, all with their fangs and claws showing. He nudged Uru awake. "Wake up," he said, "we're in trouble."

Uru groaned as he sleep was disturbed. She rolled over and her eyes fluttered open. "What is it?" As soon as she saw the pride surrounding them, she jumped to her feet in shock. She crowded closer to Kuiba in fear. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. I was just trying to figure that out myself." Kuiba said.

A large male approached, the lionesses stepped aside to let him through. He was tall, more heavily built and muscular that Kuiba, with a stark red mane. He held his head high, peering down his nose at the pair. Instantly, Kuiba knew who this was, even though he had never seen him before. This old male was King Mohatu.

"You majesty." Kuiba bowed, the brim of his nose touched the earth. "It is a great privilege to meet you, sir."

"Flattery will get you no where." The king's voice boomed. "Who are you, and why are you in my Pride Lands?"

"We don't mean to intrude on you, your highness." Kuiba was trembling in fear. Facing Kutawala was less terrifying than being in such presence. "We have mearly left our previous pride and are traveling to find a better home. Some place we can start anew."

"And that included killing my subjects, consuming the prey of my pride." Mohatu glanced at the partially eaten zebra carcass. He glared down at the smaller lion beneath him. "I have half a mind to execute you on the spot."

"He was only bringing me here!" Uru shouted, placing herself between Kuiba and the king. The lionesses snarled and each advanced, but stopped when Mohatu raised a paw.

"And who are you?" Mohatu asked.

Trembling and anxious, she spoke. "I am Uru. Daughter of Kutawala. I am betrothed to your son."

Kuiba's eyes snapped open in shock. He looked up at Uru, who stared down at him and silently told him to keep quiet. If he tried to deny what she said, they wold both likely be killed.

"Uru." Mohatu said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I did not know you'd be coming so soon. My son will be happy to know you're here. You do remember his name, right?"

"Of course. He is Ahadi." Uru answered.

"Good. And I am to assume this was your escort?" The king motioned to Kuiba. "If that is so, then why did he try to feed me the story of you as rogues?"

"That was a cover, in case we were stopped by anyone else." Uru explained. "He was just doing as instructed."

"Hm." King Mohatu nodded to the lionesses, who all stood down. "Well then, you are my welcome guests. The death of a single zebra to ensure the safe arrival of my son's bride-to-be is a small price. Come, we will escort you the rest of the way."

Mohatu and his lionesses headed off, Uru following close behind. Kuiba, dejected and still suffering from the shock of her words, trailed at the end. Uru glanced back at him, sadness in her eyes. It hurt her to think of what she'd done, and how she'd been forced to betray Kuiba's trust like that, but she only did it to save his life.

Even if it did cost her the future she'd been hoping for.

The journey was short and uneventful, and soon they were upon the home of the king, Pride Rock. Never had Kuiba seen anything quite like it, the homelands he and Uru escaped from were nothing but pebbles compared to this. He followed them inside, still trailing at the very end. Inside the den was another small number of lionesses along with their cubs, and one young adult male.

"Uru," King Mohatu said. "Allow me to introduce my son, and your future king. Ahadi."

/

(AN: If you appreciate my fanfics, consider giving my original works a try. On Amazon at /-/e/B00SH4F4YI)


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